Bihar Man Alleged Kingpin in Maharashtra TET Paper Leak, Seven Arrested

The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 examination, which was scheduled for June 28, 2026, faced a significant setback when its question paper was allegedly leaked a day prior, leading to its postponement and affecting over six lakh candidates across the state. The scandal unfolded after the Thane police, acting on a tip-off, arrested three individuals on June 27, 2026, from Kongaon village on the outskirts of Bhiwandi while they were allegedly attempting to distribute the leaked papers. These three arrested accused were identified as Akash Kumar (30) and Rajiv Shah (45), both residents of Patna, Bihar, and Dhiraj Kumar (28) from Panipat, Haryana. On June 29, 2026, the Bhiwandi court remanded all three to eight days of police custody, with their custody extending until July 6. During the court proceedings, police informed the judge that Bihar resident Bijendra Gupta was the alleged kingpin of the extensive paper leak racket. Bijendra Gupta, hailing from Samastipur district in Bihar, has emerged as the central figure in this multi-state examination fraud. Investigators claim he has a long criminal history, allegedly involved in at least 20 paper leak incidents across various states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, over nearly 25 years. Police records indicate he had been absconding for the past four years and was also the prime accused in the 2023 Odisha JEE paper leak case. Despite being arrested multiple times and subsequently securing bail, Gupta allegedly continued to operate under different identities, frequently moving between states. The probe quickly expanded beyond Maharashtra, with police identifying a widespread network spanning Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Bihar. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed under Thane Joint Commissioner of Police Panjabrao Ugale to investigate the racket thoroughly. The police recovered four sets of the TET-2026 question paper from the initially arrested accused, which education department officials confirmed matched the actual papers. The accused allegedly aimed to earn approximately ₹1.5 crore by selling these leaked papers to candidates. Bijendra Gupta, initially absconding, was also reportedly in contact with Kapil Dahiya from Haryana, who was named as a wanted accused. The investigation progressed rapidly, leading to more arrests. On July 1, 2026, Bijendra Gupta's wife, Suman Kumari Gupta (40), was arrested from Patna, Bihar. Police allege she was aware of her husband's operations and financial transactions related to the racket. She was also remanded to police custody until July 6. By July 3, 2026, three more accused were arrested from Pathankot in Punjab and Samastipur in Bihar, bringing the total number of arrests to seven. Among them was Kapil Dahiya, who was earlier absconding, along with Mithunkumar Sublal Singh and Sonukumar Kushweshwar Singh. Kapil Dahiya was alleged to have traveled to Mumbai to sell the papers, while Mithunkumar Singh assisted in selling and providing answers, and Sonukumar Singh was accused of creating fake identity documents for Gupta. Forged PAN, Aadhaar, and driving license documents bearing Gupta's photograph under the name 'Abhishek Mahto' were recovered from the accused. Political reactions also ensued, with Maharashtra Opposition legislators walking out of the Vidhan Bhavan on June 29, 2026, protesting the government's failure to prevent such leaks. The Maharashtra government announced that the TET examination would transition to an online format from the next year to enhance security and prevent future incidents. Investigations further revealed that the leak allegedly originated from the printing press in Agra, with two printing press employees, Sonu and Anup Kumar, accused of supplying the confidential papers to Gupta's gang. They are currently absconding. Bijendra Gupta's background reveals a transition from a teacher at coaching institutes to a paper leak mastermind. He was also arrested in a murder case in 2003, though his wife claims he was acquitted. The ongoing investigation highlights the deep-rooted nature of examination paper leak rackets in India, with authorities tracking financial trails and digital evidence to uncover the full extent of the network.

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